


Chemistry

by gayboyblues



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Flustered Alex (Julie and the Phantoms), Gen, Luke Patterson is a Little Shit, M/M, Non-Binary Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Non-binary character, and that’s not a tag why????, anyway here’s some gay shit, reggie being non-binary has nothing to do with this story really they just are, this is much more lighthearted than my last fic hope y’all are thankful, why are none of these pre-existing tags come on y’all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayboyblues/pseuds/gayboyblues
Summary: “‘Forgive me if I’m misreading things, but do you want to make out?’”OrAlex’s friends try to give him advice on how to flirt with guys, or one guy, specifically. He is having none of it.
Relationships: Alex & Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex & Julie Molina, Alex & Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 22
Kudos: 450





	Chemistry

“‘Forgive me if I’m misreading things, but do you want to make out?’”

“Reggie!” Alex exclaims, covering his face with his hands. “I can’t just say that to him!”  
  


“Why not?” Reggie asks like it isn’t obvious.

“Because!” Alex says and throws his hands up in the air. “No!”

“Just keep going, Reg,” Luke says.

“What about–” Reggie starts.

“Guys,” Julie cuts in, putting her hand over Reggie’s phone screen and lowering it to the table. “You’ve been doing this all lunch period. I don’t think Alex is gonna use a cheesy pickup line to win Willie’s affection.”

“Shhh! Don’t say his name so loud!” Alex hushes frantically. “What if he hears you?”

“What, he’s gonna hear us all the way in another lunchroom?” Luke asks. “We’re fine, dude.”

“You don’t know,” Alex argues in a whisper. “Someone in here might know him.”

“There’s probably a bunch of Willies that aren’t Willie St–”

“Oh my God, Reggie!” Alex says, covering his friend’s mouth with a hand. “Don’t say his last name! Are you crazy?”

“You need to ask?” Flynn says from across the table. “It’s Reggie.”

“Hey!” Reggie shouts, frowning.

“No offense.”

“A little taken!”

“Guys, please,” Julie says, sounding tired.

“We’re trying to get Alex a boyfriend, so focus,” Luke says.

“Alex would rather you not,” Alex points out, but he knows it won’t do anything.

“Well, this clearly isn’t working,” Flynn says, ignoring him like he figured she would.

“What do you think we should do?” Reggie asks her.

Flynn hold up a finger and starts typing on her phone. After what can’t be more than thirty seconds, she turns the screen to Alex. “Here’s his number.”

“What?” Alex squawks. “How’d you get it so fast?”

Flynn shrugs. “I know a friend of a friend.”

“I’m not just going to randomly text him,” Alex says. “That’s weird.”

“And creepy,” Julie says. “I don’t think I’d date someone who went and found my number.”

“You have no room to talk,” Flynn accuses. “Luke practically stalked you, and you said yes to him when he asked you out.”

“It was _not_ like that!” Luke argues, face getting red.

“You literally dropped whatever you were doing to gawk at her in the hallways.”

“I was looking respectfully!”

“You _stole_ her notebook so you could return it to her.”

“I _found_ her notebook!” Luke yells. “I’m not a thief!”

“Well, it was all the way in the bottom of her bag, and then you suddenly had it, so…”

“I found it on the floor in the hallway! You guys were there!” Luke gestures at Alex and Reggie. “Isn’t that what happened?”

“I dunno, dude,” Reggie says, putting their hands up and shaking their head in doubt. “All I know is that Julie set her bag down at her locker, I looked away, and when I looked back, you suddenly had the book.”

“I did _not_ steal it! Julie!”

“Guys,” Julie jumps to her boyfriend’s rescue. “You’re upsetting him.”

“He’s upsetting me,” Flynn says and turns back to Alex.

“ _How_?” Luke asks.

“I’m trying to have a conversation with Alex. Stop interrupting,” Flynn says without looking at Luke. “Anyway, I think you should just text him.”

“Isn’t it time to leave?” Alex asks instead of acknowledging Flynn again.

“We still have, like, five minutes,” Flynn argues, but Alex is already standing.

“I don’t wanna be late for chemistry,” he says and heads for the trashcans.

“Fine, run away from your love story, you coward!” Flynn calls after him.

“Alex, wait for us!” Luke says, and he and Reggie get up and follow.

Alex is out the cafeteria doors by the time his friends catch up to him.

“I still think you should go with one of the pickup lines,” Reggie says, linking their arm with Alex’s even when he tries to keep them from doing it. “I’d probably say yes to someone if they asked me out like that.”

“In no universe would I be able to ask someone out like that,” Alex says. “Or at all, really.”

“You need to shoot your shot, dude,” Luke says, throwing an arm across Alex’s shoulders.

“So I can embarrass myself in front of the hottest guy in school? Yeah, I don’t think so.” Alex sighs. “He’s probably straight, anyway.”

“Well, you’ll never know unless you try. Reg?” Luke glances across Alex at Reggie, who releases Alex’s arm immediately. Luke pulls Alex in front of him and places both of his hands on Alex’s shoulders.

“What are you–”

“Go get ‘em, buddy!” Luke whispers loudly and shoves Alex away from him and right into the person passing them in the hall. The person stumbles and falls to the ground, along with all of their things.

“Luke!” Alex hisses, turning to glare at his friend, but Luke and Reggie are already down the hall fiddling with lockers that aren’t even theirs. He turns back to the person he’s just bowled over. “I am _so_ sorry! I–”

Alex brain completely shuts down when he realizes who Luke just threw him at.

“It’s okay, dude,” says William _fucking_ Stewart as he makes his way back to his feet, and, Jesus Christ, Alex is going to have a heart attack. “Payback for that time I hit you with my skateboard.”

“Oh, you remember that?” Alex squeaks out.

“I mean, yeah,” Willie says, brushing off the front of his shirt. “Felt kinda bad about it.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“For getting run over with a skateboard?”

“No, I–” Alex stumbles over the words, gesturing weirdly before shoving his hands in his pockets and letting his eyes fall to the floor. “I don’t know.”

“You’re wired a little tight, huh?” Willie says, and when Alex glances back up at him, he’s grinning in that way that makes Alex’s heart feel all funny.

“Oh, yeah, I– I guess,” Alex says awkwardly and looks back at the ground. His eyes find the binder and scattered papers that Willie had been carrying. “Oh, um–” He bends down quickly and gathers them up in his arms. “Here.”

“Thanks,” Willie says, taking his things and stuffing them in his backpack.

Alex figures that’s the end of the interaction, and he’s ready to turn around and _kill_ Luke and Reggie, but Willie just stands there instead of walking away.

“So, um, Alex,” Willie starts, and he’s awkward for probably the first time Alex has ever seen, but that’s not what Alex’s stupid brain decides to focus on.

“You know my name?” Alex blurts out, because he’s a moron and doesn’t think before he lets words fall out of his mouth.

Willie furrows his brow. “Yeah? We have calculus together.”

“I know, I just– I thought–” Alex stutters lamely. “I didn’t think you knew who I was…”

Willie laughs at that like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. Alex feels his face go red.

“You thought I– That–” Willie gets out between chuckles. “Bro, I partner up with you _all the time._ ”

“Yeah, because Mrs. Callahan always puts us together,” Alex points out, because how does Willie not know that?

“ _Alex_ ,” Willie says, taking Alex’s hands in his own and causing the blond’s brain to short-circuit. “I thought I was being _super_ obvious.”

“About what?” Alex asks dumbly, because all he can think about right now is _Willie is holding his hands_.

Willie laughs again. “I kinda like you, dude.”

“Oh,” Alex says, then, “Because I help you in calculus.”

“Alex, _no_ ,” Willie says, laughing. “I mean–” He pauses, and Alex finally looks away from their hands. “Do you wanna go somewhere this weekend? Like, on a date.”

“I–” Alex can’t even comprehend that. A date. With _Willie_. The guy he’s been crushing on for two years. He’s got to be dreaming right now. “Am I awake?”

That sets Willie off again. He holds Alex’s hands tighter as he laughs.

“ _Yes_ , dude. You’re awake.” Willie calms down, and his laughs taper off. “Is that a yes?”

“Yeah, no, yeah,” Alex stammers. “I just– Are you sure?”

“Course I’m sure, dude,” Willie says, and his smile softens. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it.”

“Yeah,” Alex says like he can’t believe this is happening, and he can’t, so it checks out. “Yeah, um–” He scrambles for his phone, finding it in the pocket of his hoodie and unlocking it before holding it out to Willie. “Do you wanna give me your number so we can talk about it later?”

“Yeah,” Willie says, taking Alex’s phone and typing in his number. After a second, Willie’s phone dings, and he pulls it out of his pocket. “There we go. I got yours, too. I’ll see you in calc?”

“Uh, yeah,” Alex says, accepting his phone back from Willie. “See you.”

Willie waves and heads down the hall, and Alex is left standing there in utter disbelief.

“That looks like it went well!” Luke says, practically jumping on his shoulders in excitement. “Did he give you his number?”

“Yeah, he– He wants to go on a date,” Alex says, and he still has no idea how any of that just happened.

“Oh my gosh, dude!” Reggie shouts, clapping a hand to Alex’s back. “That’s awesome! We gotta tell Julie and Flynn!”

“You did it!” Luke says. “Told you, you could!”

“I didn’t,” Alex says. “He asked me.”

“Oh?”

“Shut up,” Alex says, because the way Luke says it makes his face heat up again. “Come on, we’re gonna be late for chemistry.”

“Oh, it’s definitely too late for that now,” Reggie says but follows after him anyway, even as the late bell rings.

Alex groans. “Do you think she’ll accept gay panic as an excuse?”

“Can’t hurt to try,” Luke says and shrugs.

Alex sighs. His phone buzzes in his hand, and he looks down to check it. It’s from Willie.

_hey hope you weren’t late to class hotdog_

Alex smiles and texts back.

**_Hotdog?_ **

_;)_

**_What does that even mean?_ **

“What are you grinning about?” Luke asks.

“Texting Willie already?” Reggie asks, craning their neck to try and get a look at Alex’s phone.

“Shut up,” Alex says, twisting the screen away from Reggie’s prying eyes.

“Ouch, Alex,” Luke says, pouting.

“Words hurt, you know,” Reggie says.

“Shut _up_ ,” Alex says again and shoves Luke’s shoulder because he’s the closest.

“I’m being bullied,” Luke complains.

“You deserve it.”

“ _Rude_.”

“You don’t seem that upset about being late for chemistry,” Reggie points out, smiling too.

“Some things are worth being late for, I guess,” Alex says, grinning as another message from Willie pops up on his screen.

“Who _are_ you?” Luke asks, laughing when Alex swats at him again.

“I’m still mad at you,” Alex says, scowling. “That could have ended _so_ badly!”

“But it didn’t,” Luke says. “You should be thanking me, really.”

“I’ll thank you by putting my foot up yo–”

“Time for chemistry!” Reggie interrupts, pulling Alex up to the door by the arm. “Are we still going with the gay panic excuse?”

Alex just sighs.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to tell me about your feelings in the comments. It’s the only thing other than Julie and the Phantoms that brings me joy in quarantine.


End file.
